Costa Mesa -- Lion's Volleyball had a week off before welcoming the Hawks of San Diego Christian to the Pit Saturday night. Vanguard fought the whole night but could not overcome the Hawks, falling in 4 sets 19-25, 21-25, 25-22, and 20-25. The Lions fall to 10-2 overall and 5-2 in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
What Happened? The Blue and Gold got the first kill from Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA) to take a 2-1 lead but the squad soon faced a 5-2 hole. Kills from Samantha Arellano (SR/Tulare, CA) and Hailey Petersen (JR/Omaha, NE) helped the Lions to close a couple of times before the team evened the score at 8-8. A service error and a kill by Maggie Gunther (JR/Huntington Beach, CA) put VU ahead 10-9, but the lead would be short-lived. The Hawks took flight on a 6-1 run to go ahead 20-15. Petersen and Gunther each got kills in the later stages of the set but SDCC took the frame 25-19. The Lions hit .219 in the first.
Set Two
A couple of attack errors put Vanguard up 2-0 early but the Hawks soon leveled the score. Forcing the Hawks into some errors propelled VU to a 6-2 lead, which soon morphed to an 8-4 advantage. The Lions got a kill from Danielle Bellfi (SR/Murrieta, CA) and Madeline DeLucia (SO/Happy Valley, OR) to keep the lead at four, but San Diego Christian then flipped the scoreboard, going on a 6-0 hot streak to take a 13-11 advantage. The visitors kept the lead but VU made a quality run to mount a challenge. Bickmore and Petersen each recorded a kill as the Lions went from trailing 21-17 to being just down one at 22-21. Despite the rally, the Hawks closed the door on any comeback and scored the final three points to take set two 25-21. VU hit .111 in the second set.
Set Three
VU put the pedal down quick to open the third, riding out to a 6-2 lead to force the Hawks to call a timeout. Petersen had a couple of kills and blocks along the way, with Payton Darm (FR/San Juan Capistrano, CA) adding in a kill as well. Arellano made it 10-4 Vanguard before the Hawks made their move again, slicing the gap to 12-9. Petersen then put down a kill to help keep the lead at three points and stave off the Hawks for a little longer. Entering the middle stages, SDCC once more battled back to tie the set at 15-all, forcing the Lions to take a timeout. The score would bounce back and forth until the Lions got a couple of kills from Bickmore to give the team a two-point cushion. Despite the efforts of the Hawks, Vanguard remained in the lead and got the winning kill from Arellano to take set three 25-22. The Lions hit .167 in the third.
Set Four
After each side scored to start the frame, the Hawks sprung away to take an 8-4 lead, but the Lions did not let the visitors escape. Darm, Petersen, and Arellano all helped the Lions bring the gap down to one at 9-8. Gunther then gave VU a 13-11 lead on a few rallies later a solid kill, forcing the Hawks to call a timeout. SDCC once more bounced back well after the pause, leveling the score at 15-all and then taking a one-point lead from there. Yet VU stayed right with the Hawks as the teams drove deep into the fourth period. Vanguard kept fighting but a couple of quick points put San Diego Christian in the lead and they would not falter, claiming the final set 25-20 and the match 3-1.
Vanguard hit .181 for the game and had 46 kills over the four sets. The team had two aces and five solo blocks. Bellfi paced the lineup with 11 kills and three errors for the night, with Arellano second with nine kills and two errors. Petersen came in third with eight kills. DeLucia had 19 assists and Rachel Lim (FR/La Palma, CA) was right behind with 16. Rainena Schenbeck Chang (SR/Aiea, HI) had 17 digs to lead that category for the Blue and Gold, with Bellfi posting 13 for a double-double and Lim collecting 12.
Why is it Important? The Lions have now won only once in the past five meetings with the Hawks. Vanguard is now third in the GSAC with the Hawks at 5-2.
What was said? "The result is a byproduct of our process and we did not execute that process," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "We now have to focus in at practice this week as we prepare to hit the road for our next few games ."
What's next? The team will head out on the road for the Arizona swing, taking on #20 Ottawa University of Arizona first on Friday, October 8, at 5:00 p.m.
